Scientific Research

Summary

All Essential Benefits/Effects/Facts & Information

Eucommia ulmoides is a Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been recommended for vitality enhancement and longevity. It is a collection of flavonoids (ones that are fairly common in the plant world) as well as both lignans and irioid compounds (both of which are not unique to this plant, but tend to be less common).

There is not a lot of human evidence on this plant at this moment in time except for one study noting reductions in blood pressure, but currently the animal evidence and mechanisms suggest that eucommia ulmoides could have a role in preventing bone loss, inducing fat loss, and reducing elevated blood pressure and triglycerides. At least one study suggests that the plant can augment steroid signalling without inherently being a strong agonist (applies to both androgens and estrogens), but this may apply to caprylic acid in general (which would then suggest that Coconut Oil is better at this role, due to providing much more caprylic acid).

It is not clear exactly how this plant burns fat or the molecules that mediate this effect, but currently the PPAR system is implicated and acute doses of the supplement have been confirmed to increase heat production in rats. The fat loss (or more acurately, anti-obese) effects of the plant in animal models is surprisingly potent among nutritional supplements.

This plant does have potential as a nutritional supplement as, unlike many other plants, it is active at relatively low oral dosages of 3,000mg or less (plant dry weight).

Things To Know

Fat Mass and Obesity

6.1. Mechanisms

Mechanistically, it has been noted that ingestion of Eucommia ulmoides is associated with increases in protein content of some intermediates of energy metabolism (isocitrate dehydrogenase 3, citrate synthase, pyruvate kinase, GLUT4, and H+ transporting mitochondrial F1 complex)[15] and in rat liver increases in the activity of genes involved in fat oxidation has been noted in the range of 1.21-1.88 fold (300-1,600mg/kg leaf extract intake)[38] which is thought to explain the increases in fat oxidation seen in the liver.[38][39][15] The increase was noted on the rate-limiting stages of β-oxidation (Cpt1a, Acox1, and Acadvl), α-Oxidation, and ω-oxidation (Cyp4a1).[38]

Differential effects have been noted on UCPs, with an increase in UCP3 seen in normal rats and an increase in UCP2 seen in high fat fed rats,[15] and PPARγ mRNA has been found to be increased.[15] The aforementioned genetic changes in liver enzymes also appear to be targets of PPARα and PPARδ, suggesting they may play a role.[38]

It is hypothesized that the above changes are due in part to geniposide and geniposidic acid as well as their aglycone (genipin) as they consist of most of the plant’s phytochemicals by weight[38] and since geniposide has shown lipid reducing properties in isolation.[40]

Eucommia ulmoides appears to modify the levels of proteins involved in energy metabolism and expenditure and in particular the uncoupling proteins (mediates heat production and ‘wastes’ energy), but the exact mechanism of action underlying these observations is not yet clear

A study in anaethesized rats given an intraduodenal injection of eucommia ulmoides (1-5mg or 4-20mg/kg) noted an increase in sympathetic nerve activity in both white and brown adipose tissue, and in concious rats there was an increase in plasma fatty acids (154.5-156.6% at 1-5mg of the leaf extract) and body temperature.[41]

An increase in heat expenditure following a single dose has been noted in rats, following fairly reasonable oral dosages as well

At least one study, in assessing its mechanisms on blood pressure, has found beta-blocking properties in human fat cells able to reduce the effects of isoproterenol.[29] This suggests that eucommia ulmoides can suppress the effects of fat burners that signal via these receptors, namely Ephedrine orSynephrine.

It’s beta-blocking potential, while beneficial to blood pressure, may antagonize the effects of other fat burner